Shutdown sinks Scout troop's canoe trip

10:43 PM,
Oct. 8, 2013

Teen members of Boy Scout Troop 1 in Jackson specialize in high-adventure trips, such as the one they took over spring break to bike the 89-mile Greenbrier River Trail near snowy White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Those making the trip included, from left, Maddox Henry, Pearce Robertson, Scoutmaster Jay Cooke, Bennett Weeks and Sam Saia. In the background are Max Martinson, left, and Will Laird.

Written by

Ruth Ingram
| ringram@clarionledger.com

It's a painful civics lesson for teen members of Boy Scout Troop 1 in Jackson.

Their long-awaited, high-adventure canoe trip to the Buffalo River in northwest Arkansas set for this weekend has been capsized by the government shutdown. The picturesque river is the centerpiece of the Buffalo River National Park.

"I've got 18 boys and seven adults, and right now we are scrambling to find a trip," said Scoutmaster and Jackson attorney Jay Cooke. "You don't realize that the government is that far into our daily life." ...